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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Adventures In Photography

I remember when I got my camera. I had big plans for it organized in my head in a neat little package. I never had a camera before, and up until then I had only used a few cheap disposable ones. I was completely inexperienced with any camera. Then I used my camera for the first time.

It was an absolute success! The camera made it so easy to take pictures. Just one click and they came out great! This was going to be much easier than I ever thought. Nothing was going to stop me. Those first pictures looked great to me. The beautiful pictures I used for the wallpaper on my computer were now taken by me. I was off to the races.

After all of those first pictures my plans were moving along wonderfully. I was discovering so many new things because of my camera. This was all a great learning experience. And as I learned more about the camera, I learned that the easy automatic mode wasn't quite good enough for what I wanted to do.

I wanted better pictures so I began experimenting with the other modes the camera offered. There were so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to take a picture of a bird in flight. I wanted the colors to be a little better. There were so many other things.

I began to reach some of these goals many times, like the bird in flight. I was getting better colors with the photos, and I was learning so much more. The pictures were piling up on my computer. I was compiling a vast library of my adventures in photography.

Then something ugly creeped into my pictures. Any time I took pictures of an animal the majority of the pictures were coming out blurry! This was a huge nuisance when I found something good, and I was left with nothing. Most of the time I still had at least a few good shots, but I had to solve this problem.

I thought I was at fault. I thought I must be shaking the camera out of excitement and nervousness at seeing my prey. I tried to correct this to no avail. Then as the seasons turned and Spring began to approach Summer the light from the sky changed. The light showed me what was wrong. It wasn't my fault at all!

As it turned out, in the mode I've been using, the camera has trouble focusing in certain light. I found out while trying to take a picture of yet another angry little squirrel. I saw the whole problem in the view screen, and it looked awful. I took ten pictures and one came out right.

I could blame the camera, but the problem is still not so simple as that. No matter how much I want it to be a lie, the problem is all my fault. The problem is not the camera, it's my lack of knowledge. I never took the time to learn the full capabilities of this camera. It's so easy to use that I haven't really tried to learn very much.

That's why I'm going to be putting more into learning how to actually use my camera now. I started yesterday. Old problems were solved and new problems showed up. I have eliminated blurry images, but replaced them with grainy ones. I hope to solve all of this as I continue to experiment. And I will continue!

This is just the beginning of my adventures in photography. Soon I will be triumphant!

enjoy your camera Ratty, I too also learn from the outcome of my pictures, since I am too lazy to study the manual :) nor read photography books :( always just excited to go out and take pictures. And I always tell myself experience is the best teacher. But sometimes I do learn from blog hopping :) some photographers discuss technical aspects showing the differences with pictures, and I read it :) I love your pictures, especially the 2nd one.

Photography is so much fun but I don't know how to use some of my modes. I mostly use two settings. Auto and fast movement. My camera doesn't take photos that well inside though unless I use the flash. But it does take good outdoor ones, especially on a nice, sunny day. I use a Sony DSC-H5 with a 12X optical zoom, which is a must for me. Only 7.2 Mp though. Wish I had more so I could crop them down more. But I'm happy with what I have for now.You do real well Ratty!!

Using the correct settings will help BUT there is a great great program you can use which is free called Picasa through Google. You can adjust the darkness, shadows, and lighting and turn a crappy picture into something spectacular. I use it ALL THE TIME!! Love it. If you down load it to your computer and dont like it you can always just uninstall it since you will feel no guilt since it is free!!!

Ratty: I am like you...I am learning as I go. I have read the manual three times. Every time I read it, I find out more....I try some adjustment and realize I should have done it months ago...keep trying new things and share them with us, too...we will all learn together!!

Kruel - Thanks. I'm mostly trying to learn to get more like that, and eliminate the bad ones that I don't show.-

Mike - For most things the automatic settings are great, but trying to take pictures of fast moving animals can be very difficult. I hope to improve that greatly. I've made some progress today.-

Icy BC - These point and shoot cameras can sometimes do things we haven't dreamed of. Hopefully I can find some of those things.-

Joe Todd - My computer is quickly filling up with my pictures. I've been thinking of moving some of them to DVD. I'd hate to have to do it. I'll be giving updates for each new thing I learn. It might make it easier for a few others.-

Rainfield - I'm amazed every time I get home and find something new on my pictures that I didn't see while I was taking them. I've been having a lot of fun with my camera.-

Betchai - I've been learning mine almost exactly like you learn yours. I got a little bit lazy about it recently though, so I decided it's time to get serious about it. I've already seen a few results.-

Ginnymo - My camera is kind of versatile. It's made to get pictures anywhere. The fast movement setting is something I need to try more. My optical zoom is only 4x, that's where my problems begin. It's the one thing I wish was better. It's a shortcoming that I can usually get around though.-

PJ - Thanks! I'll have a look!-

Sharkbytes - Learning a camera's settings is difficult until you really apply yourself. I neglected to do that until now. I was too worried about not messing up. Now I'm looking at it as a great adventure.-

Julia - Thanks for the great advice. I have Picasa but I've only used it a little bit. I've seen its potential, but haven't tried much yet. I think I'll have to use it more often.-

The Retired One - My problem is that I only read the manual in pieces. I finally looked through it much better yesterday. I understand much more now, so I hope to be able to share some knowledge soon.

Those are amazing photos, especially for the first timer! Your subjects are nature related and there's gonna be no way to make it NOT interesting...it's always great! I always visit here to see the new nature update from you!

The Everyday Adventurer

Everyday and every day are commonly confused in English. There’s no difference in pronunciation, but using the wrong one when writing is a mistake in the everyday English language you use every day.

EverydayEveryday is an adjective that means commonplace, ordinary, or normal.

Example: These shoes are great for everyday wear.

Every DayEvery day means "each day."

Example: I go to the park every day.

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I Am The Everyday Adventurer

I am The Everyday Adventurer and I will take you on a journey through nature trails, local places, shops, bridges, parks, hiking, and other adventures. We'll get stranded on a deserted island, and find the way back to civilization. Learn what it's like to get caught in a winter blizzard. See photos of falling snow. A bridge to another world. Hidden rivers, and lakes. A creepy swamp. Wild animals, and strange plants. Who knows? You could discover your own everyday fun. This is a tour of the unknown and magical. We'll travel to Wonderland and back. You'll see the rabbit and the blue caterpillar. You'll even meet Alice. A trip through lost and hidden places. You'll see strange oddities that are rare and wondrous. How about a weird arcade of the bizarre? Or a look through time and history? It's all here. The world waits for you! So look around, and be amazed!